Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2020 | Page 50

The roof terrace of
Mauno Circus in ElectroCity.
imum speed, the travel time will be reduced
by almost an hour, and the distance between
the destinations can be travelled in approxi-
mately 75 minutes.
In September 2019, the Ministry of
Transport and Communications announced
that it has begun negotiations with munic-
ipalities and other parties to set up project
companies for the One Hour Train. The pri-
mary task and function of these companies
will be planning and financing railway pro-
jects until their construction is completed.
With sizeable investments on the way,
it appears that designing the new, rapid rail-
way links will take six to eight years, with
the lines likely to begin operating in the
2030’s at the earliest.
Carbon Neutrality Within
a Decade?
ute to increasing the vitality and attractive-
ness of the region.
“We’ve been talking with several inter-
national players who are thinking about
establishing operations here and they are
pleased to see that the local talent pool is
becoming deeper as a result of the new pro-
grams,” says Niko Kyynäräinen.
Blue Industry Rising
One of the industries hungry for new talent is
marine, spearheaded by the Turku shipyard.
As Meyer Finland has doubled its produc-
tion in recent years, the entire marine cluster
is feeling the rising tides. Enter: Blue Indus-
try Park, located right next to the shipyard,
with an aim to become a leading production
and innovation cluster of the maritime and
manufacturing industries.
As per “Turku business playbook,”
also here the key competitive advantage is
the synergy created by the cooperation of
enterprises and other actors in the area. Upon
completion, Blue Industry Park will com-
bine a critical mass of resources and exper-
tise as well as a competitive setting with pro-
duction, product development and research.
“The Blue Industry Park is presently
just starting to take shape, with infrastruc-
tural work being done and plots getting
ready to be delivered for interested par-
ties,” Kyynäräinen describes the park-to-
be that has 60 hectares open for develop-
ment. Eventually, the Blue Industry Park
could feature as many as 100 companies
and 10,000 employees.
“The growth of the local marine indus-
try is greatly supported by the upcoming
park,” Kyynäräinen believes.
nected is the Turku Region? Program Direc-
tor Riitta Birkstedt believes that Turku is in
fine position in this regard, as well.
“In addition to upgrades to E18 road
and the port, we are fully committed to One
Hour Train and want to see it through,” she
says.
One Hour Train is a high-speed rail
link between Turku and Helsinki, which
has been waiting in the wings for sufficient
political will power to move forward. What
the new fast rail connection would entail is
that, at first, the travel time between Hel-
sinki and Turku will be reduced by more
than 30 minutes from present time. Then, as
the equipment is modernized to enable max-
Boosting the rail is also part of the local
“green” approach, as Turku seeks sustaina-
bility in all its operations. In accordance with
the city strategy, the main target of Turku’s
climate policy is to be a carbon neutral city
by the year 2029.
In order to meet the target, Turku
strives to reduce greenhouse gases by 80
% compared to the 1990 level by 2029.
This target will be reached through mile-
stones that are set for each council term; for
instance, already by 2021, the City wants to
reduce emissions by 50% compared to the
1990 level.
“Among big Finnish cities, Turku has
set the most ambitious climate targets, show-
casing its commitment to be a true forerun-
ner in sustainability,” says Juha Elo, Mar-
keting Manager for Turku. l
All Aboard the One Hour Train
As Turku keeps on blazing the growth trail,
also logistical concerns arise – just how con-
50 Nordicum
The lobby of the Visitor and Innovation Centre Joki.